Time Versus Time
by PhantomGalaxy13
Summary: Jared Arc, son of Jaune Arc, finds himself in the past. Things are starting to pop up that he clearly didn't recall from history and he must partner up with his young dad to both survive, and protect him from dying. Yet another problem arises for the displaced boy: he has no idea who his mother is! Rather he has more than several memories of different mothers!
1. Time is a jerk 1

Summary: Jared Arc, son of Jaune Arc, finds himself in the past. Things are starting to pop up that he clearly didn't recall from history and he must partner up with his young dad to both survive, and protect him from dying. Yet another problem arises for the displaced boy: he has no idea who his mother is! Rather he has more than several memories of different mothers!

* * *

Beta Read by Texa52

* * *

Breath in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

…

…

The seventeen-year-old blinked and let out a defeated sigh. Once more it seemed that his semblance wouldn't manifest today either.

He looked at the mirror, seeing the boy with disappointed red eyes, messy black hair and currently wearing a white with violet-accented long coat over a violet chest plate with the symbol of a sword in front of an embalmed thunderbolt. And underneath the chest plate was a simple white long sleeve shirt that one could only spot if he wasn't wearing the coat. He wore black combat pants and then slowly put on his socks and special crafted blue shoes that had midsole that was laced with specialized metal, but still could make his feet feel comfortable to run and walk in.

Fighting the daily disappointment that was his own Aura, he placed on his headphones and walked onto the floor right next to the punching bag. He took in the silence before the upbeat music kicked in as he started light exercises on the bag of sand. One-two, he kept his punches in tandem with the music until he closed his eyes and moved in motion with the song.

It was then that the music he was listening to had abruptly come to a stop, making the young boy stop.

The young man opened his eyes. He froze as his mind tried to process how he got from a private training arena to a large, empty auditorium.

"Hmm? Ah! You there!" A loud voice bellowed behind him

The young man looked over to his right to see a plump, well-dressed man with gray hair and a rather bushy mustache jubilantly call him out.

"I see you are rather excited for Beacon initiation, young man, but the introduction isn't until the next three hours! Might I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the school grounds before returning here? It may help in your endeavor to learn more about the school you are intending to live for the next four years!"

The young man tilted his head slightly in confusion. Beacon? Was he in Beacon? But how? Wasn't he at his home? Did some semblance send him here somehow or something?

"Um right." The young man finally responded, deciding to at least be polite first. The person in front of him didn't seem to be the reason why he was here. "Th-Thank you for the suggestion, Professor?"

"Professor Port, your future freshman Grimm Studies professor! I cannot wait to regale you of the great lessons I've planned for you and your fellow classmates!"

The name caught his attention. "Professor Port? What a coincidence, my parents once had a great teacher named Port when they were in Beacon."

Professor Port laughed heartily and came close enough to give a resounding smack to the young boy's back that noticeably attracted his aura to defend him. "My! My! That is such a strange coincidence! I don't seem to recall any other professor named Port before I came to this school in this profession, but none the less! I do hope I can honor that name if your parents both liked that teacher when they came here! Ah! Wait, what is your name young man?"

"It's Jared A—"

The young man was interrupted when Port quickly glanced at his watch. "By Brothers; look at the time! Well, young Jared, it's not like me to interrupt, but I am unfortunately pressed for time meeting with my associate, Bart! Do enjoy your stay!" The man gave a kind wave goodbye before walking away.

Jared blinked in confusion as the man walked away from him. As he tried to get his bearings, he heard his scroll playing an unfamiliar tune.

However, when he fished his pockets, he was surprised to see a much older model of his scroll. The device still kept ringing, but Jared quickly fished his pockets for his real phone.

When he couldn't find it in his immediate person, he slowly answered the black scroll.

"About bloody time you answered, ya baboon yob!" Someone shouted, for some reason though, it sounded like the person was calling in the middle of a fight with some gnarly sounding Grimm.

"Who is this? What did you do with my Scroll!? What is going on here!?" The violet-themed young man yelled as he started making his way out the auditorium while making sure there wasn't anyone nearby to listen to him.

"Did you really ask for the state of your scroll before the situation you are currently in!?" Odd. His voice had some kind of northern accent. "Bollocks, no time! Listen well, Jared Arc! You have activated your semblance and it's a real doozy."

The young boy visibly winced at the mention of his name by a stranger. "H-How did you know my—"

"Focus, Arc! First, check the date of the scroll you are carrying: I assure you it's not absobloodylutely wrong in its date!" Jeeze, what was with this guy?

Jared raised his brow before doing so, his eyes only widened when he saw that the date was thirty years into the past!

"By the sound of your stunned silence, I'm assuming ya glanced at the good old calendar. Ooh, hold on a tic! Whup! Anyway, I assure you, yer phone ain't drunk or some hubbabaloo. You are indeed thirty years into the past because your semblance has finally activated. It's bloody Time Travel."

Time Travel? Thirty Years? Was this man messing with him!?

"I assure you I'm not messing with you. In actuality, your semblance will mess with you—but I digress. Mind the fangs!" It sounded like something big and angry snapped its jaws a second later. But how did he know about his problem with his aura? What if this guy was using a mind reading semblance? "Actually, I do have a mind reading semblance, but I don't usually use it because it's bloody easy to imagine what others are thinking. Second, do you really think a mind reader could pull off what just happened a few seconds ago?! Aww, bloody hell, I was too loud!"

Jared pulled his scroll away when he heard a horrible screeching noise.

When the speaker's voice came back out, it sounded much more panicked than before. "Alright, shut up and listen. You are in the past, laddie, and for the sake of a good chunk of the population, there are a group of people that you must defend and protect. I'm sure you'll figure it out when you meet them. I'll contact you when things get—"

The scroll suddenly cut to all static. Jared was overwhelmed with confusion at what was going on…

Then he stopped and inhaled.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Jared calmed himself down and tried to assess the situation before him. He was taken from his home and placed in Beacon supposedly thirty years in the past…

Actually, as he was walking around, the place seemed old. He thought that the school was reconstructed after a vicious Grimm attack, but it looked as old as it did in the pictures before its first grand reconstruction. He heard rumors of how the school was nearly destroyed after a Great Grimm attack during the Blind Period, a recent period of time when all four kingdoms were in the dark from a failure in communications until the CCT's were brought back up.

Beacon, as it was thirty years ago, looked more like a grand castle, with countless buildings and rooms that spanned the area. In comparison to the future, he saw Beacon as more or less more focused as a School and a Museum, restoring some places that the public wasn't allowed to go to like the main tower, or their underground bunker. The trees were also far more exotic since the government got a bit out of hand with its restoration and placed some nearly endangered trees around the new agricultural areas.

Seeing it right now, Beacon was rather grand before everyone turned it into a mixing pot of political gain.

Huh, wait. Where's the Ozpin Statue? Whenever he saw Beacon, they always showed off the iconic Hunter Ozpin statue right next to the main one about the hunter and his companions.

Wait. Professor Port. His parents claimed to have him as a teacher, but that Professor Port told him that there was no other Professor Port before him. Unless he missed that person, what if he was telling the truth? His scroll was indeed changed to an older model, but how?

Yet… the most troubling of all… how did the caller know about his semblance problem? Was it really Time Travel? And… what did he mean that his own semblance would mess with him?

There's just no way that he's right.

"Oh hey look! It's Yang!" Yang? As in Yang Xiao long? That was a name that caught his attention as a group of people sped past him and sped away in the distance.

That name he knew that na— "Ow?!" The young boy put a hand on his head as he started to walk in a random direction.

* * *

"Ma! Ma! Happy Mother's day!" He placed the present on her lap excitedly.

She put the drink down and smiled towards him. "Aww thanks, ya squirt—Jared?" She stopped as soon as she saw the present.

"Yea?" The child tilted his head too much for a child to tilt.

She pointed towards the textbook about first grade math that was her present. "Why did you give me a math book?"

The small child gave a huge smile that was only magnified by the glint of mischievousness in his eyes. "I wanted to give you a chemistry set, but I was afraid you wouldn't get a reaction!"

For the longest two seconds of her life, she had no idea what to say until the words finally came out. "You are now my favorite child."

Of course, she was joking when she said this. But she had to admit this was the first time someone could pull off making someone happy over a math book for her.

* * *

Oh, snap right! Yang was his ma—holy crap wait. Why was she as young as him!?

"Wait, where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we even have dorms!?" squeaked a tiny voice.

Jared turned to see a red-cloaked girl—ow! There was that pain again!

* * *

Despite the pouting and somewhat angry look on her face, the young boy wasn't really afraid. "Jared, stop eating so many cookies! They're bad for your health!"

He swallowed. It was very important to swallow before speaking. "But mommy, you keep eating them!"

For some reason, she looked flustered and seemed like she was the one whose hand was caught in the cookie jar. "I-I can eat all the cookies I want because I'm an adult."

The little one did his best impression of that one guy shouting Objection a lot. His pointing ability would probably have been more dramatic if he wasn't three years old. "Daddy and Auntie says you don't act like one! And you're just saying that so you can have these all for yourself!"

She gasped, half in shock and the other half… wait no it was really all shock. "How dare my own son bisrme—bismirk—bismech? Ah phooey. How dare my son mess with my honor! I challenge you to a cookie eating contest!" Unfortunately, she wasn't doing much to actually prove her son wrong.

The little one grabbed another cookie and pushed it into the air with his hand. "I accept! First, let me finish this batch!"

"Alright—hey!" She realized too little, too late as the young one tried to stuff more cookies into him before she could catch on.

Which of these two would you believe to have Super Speed as a semblance?

* * *

The red haired girl was his mommy, Ruby Rose.

…

…

If one could listen very closely, they could hear a mental sound of a disk being scratched to a stop in Jared's vicinity.

Yang was his Ma and Ruby was his Mommy. There was something horribly wrong with this predicament and unfortunately, it was only going to get worse due to Murphy's Law.

The young man braced himself as an explosion distracted his thoughts as he looked back at Ruby who was looking at a girl covered in soot before she shook it off OW DANG IT NOT AGAIN!

* * *

The tutor was absent, but she was free to ensure that his education would not stagnate.

"Spell 'Smart'."

"S-M-A-R-T." She saw him list correctly until, "… Q!"

She swore this came from the inferior part of his bloodline. She still loved her spouse but still. "There is no Q!" She slammed on the chalkboard.

She saw him slam on the small table as if to copy her. "There should be a Q in all the letters!" Still, nothing could remove that stupid, but begrudgingly cute smile.

It seemed to be getting worse. "Jared, behave! I will not have a Schnee be anything less than exceptional!"

"I think we can abuse a political loophole to make all letters have the letter Q in them!" The young boy offered out.

"Jared for the last time… wait … there actually might be a loophole like that…" Hmm, maybe she could teach the little one early politics if he thought about using a loophole so early. Perhaps she could change the subject of his teachings for now. "Maybe we can hold spelling off in favor of politics."

Rather than look confused, the young boy raised his arms excitedly. "Whoo! I'm going to learn how to make promises I have no intention of keeping!"

She opened her mouth but found it rather hard to disprove him of that statement.

* * *

What. In. The. world. is. HAPPENING!?

Why did Jared just remember his memories with Mother Weiss!? Three!? He has three memories!? And it looked like the two girls were looking to a third girl who was now speaking to a black themed girl oh wait it's back.

* * *

Despite it being night, the young one excitedly pushed the book to her. "Mama, read me this story!"

She smiled as she took tonight's epic story. "Alright, alright. Let's see here—I am not reading this book to you." She frowned as she took tonight's story.

The young boy looked like he was just told Santa didn't exist. "What? But it's got ninjas! And Lov—"

"We're reading a different story, Jared!" Why did she still keep this book around!? Oh right, it was because she and her significant other… she better find that other book fast.

* * *

Jared's eye was twitching even though his head was aching in pain. There were now four—four memories of four different women that all were his mom!? Who was his real one because all of them feel real to him!? Wait, what if there was even more of them!?

What is happening!?

"Uh hey?"

Jared felt like screaming before he just stared at the newcomer in the scene before him. On the bright side, it wasn't another woman who turned out to be his mother.

No… it was a young man who looked exactly like his father around his age.

Wait. This was his dad; he recognized the few pictures of him in the past he was shown. The same blue eyes and blonde hair that he never inherited for some reason, how could he ever forget those colors?

"Y-Yes?" Jared managed to squeak out before coughing.

The blonde teenager and the redhead looked to each other before back to him.

"You've been standing there rubbing your head. Are you Okay?"

"Were you hurt in the blast?" The silver eyed girl eyed with guilt filling up her voice.

"What? N-No. Just a little disoriented is all—not from you though I swear! I'm fine!" The young purple themed boy tried to explain.

"Oh. Okay." The red themed girl accepted the answer easily. "Oh right. What's your name? I'm Ruby Rose and this guy here is…"

As she motioned to the boy next to her, the young man finished the sentence by motioning to himself. "And I'm Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue-ladies love it!"

Oh great, another pain shooting through Jared's mind.

* * *

"Dad, I'm not saying that." The five-year-old stated simply.

His father looked almost hurt as soon as those words left. "W-What!? Why!?"

"That sounds so cheesy!" What else was that line but cheesy?

The father looked down to the floor. It seemed very interesting with all its dust that couldn't be weaponized… right? "I-It's not cheesy…"

The small one threw his hands out. "It's so cheesy, that professional cheese men from all of Remnant would give it the award for cheesiest cheese in all of Cheese Kingdom!"

The father just stared at his offspring. "… You're like four years old, how are you already better with words than me?"

* * *

Jared managed to fight through that resurfacing memory as Ruby asked if ladies really did love the name.

"They will! Well, I-I hope they will. My mom says that… never mind." Jaune tried his best to defend himself, only to deflate in defeat without even trying.

Ruby giggled, and as Jared looked between the two young versions of his parents, taking in their every detail and comparing their characters with the people who helped raise him he realized only two things.

One: he really was in the past.

Two: he had no clue who his real mom was.

As impossible as it was to accept, Jared Arc had found himself flung 30 years into the past with his dad and (one of his) mom(s). Granted, Semblances always varied in power, but he never expected such a bizarre ability. Not to mention, the idea of time travel had only been explored in television and other media, yet here he was with the actual power dabbling in uncharted territory.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

Aww man, if this was the Back to the Present type of time travel, one false move and he could erase himself from history! But what if it was a Termination styled Time Travel? Technically he still would exist since time couldn't be changed no matter what.

"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

Though maybe he shouldn't be basing real life powers on television? Still, they were the best base to cover.

"Oh yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?"

Dang it! This was getting him nowhere! He would probably have to assess the situation later when things weren't so… bizarre.

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"

All Jared had to do was just keep calm, and act totally natural.

Jaune laughed before remembering something. "Hey wait, did we ever get your name?"

(Oh crud! Abort! Abort! Flee! I did not plan for this! Quick man, say anything to throw them off!)

"My name is Jared A-Axel. Jared Axel." Jared was rather composed despite his inner mind screaming like a banshee in an echoing valley. Had he really almost blurted his real name!?

"Oh hey! That name sounds similar to Jaune! You kind of look like him too." Ruby pointed out.

(I am going to have the fastest time traveler record of killing himself by doing stupid things. I bet dad wouldn't have done anything this stupid.) Jared inwardly thought to himself as he opened up his mouth. "Maybe I'm one of those rumored doppelgangers? You know the rumor that there are two other people who look exactly like you out in the world? Maybe Jaune here is my doppelganger?"

"What hey! If anyone's the doppelganger, it's you! I mean, you kind of look like an evil version of me anyway."

Jared gave a flat look to his dad before a dark smirk appeared on his face. "If I'm the evil twin, doesn't that mean I'm also the stronger, smarter, and overall cooler one?"

"W-What no! The evil twins aren't cooler!" Jaune valiantly tried to state.

"They kind of are though…" Ruby not so subtly muttered out loud as she thought about it.

"Hey!" Jaune turned to the smaller girl, prompting Jared to laugh. "Oh shut it. You even have an evil smile and laugh down."

"Then as your evil counterpart, I hereby claim that I shall make your life a living hell, Juane Arc! MWAHAHAHA!" (Aww crap, I let their flow carry me away. … Still, how many children have an opportunity to get back petty revenge against their parents? I mean I love them, but there are times where I wished I could slap them in the head.) He also figured that before he could start trying to get a grip of this situation, he might as well enjoy himself.

"Y-You're joking right?" The blonde boy visibly paled.

Jared gave a shrug, "Maybe… maybe not?" Just to mess with him, he gave another dark smirk along with the least subtle wink in the world.

"Uhhhhhggg not even my first hour here and I already have an archnemesis. I'm so doomed." Jaune looked to the sky in defeat, as if accepting the fact the heavens would smite him down very soon.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh even though there was a chance that she, and Jared, didn't detect that Jaune was half serious with that last statement.

However, that seemed to be the end of their little back and forth as a small period of silence came over the three.

The red themed huntress tried to start the conversation again. "Sooo I got this thing." Said thing was a red, giant, metallic weapon that was almost twice her size.

Jaune visibly reacted while Jared became curious at the antique in front of him. (Is that mommy's first version of Crescent Rose?)

"I-Is that a scythe!?"

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!" The small girl chirped.

"Wha?" Jared visibly titled his head.

"It's also a gun." Jared and Ruby told Jaune at the same time as she folded it back into her person.

"Man, that is cool!" Jaune admitted excitedly until Ruby asked him a certain question.

"So what've you got?" The blonde boy's face fell as soon as the words hit him.

"Uhhh I've got this sword." It was a simple blade, but it still looked to be good condition. He then explained about the shield/scabbard that went with it and well it was a rather normal weapon.

Jared on the other hand, paid more attention to that sword than he did with Ruby's weapon. He would always see that blade never too far from his dad. It was like half of the image he saw whenever he thought of his dad.

"What about you? What do you have?" Jared blinked when that question was directed towards him.

"Me? Oh. I have…" He took out a rather bulky, hexagon shaped buckle with a fancy crystallized center. "This."

The two looked at the odd device. "What is it?" Jaune asked curiously. Ruby's weapon made sense, but Jared's didn't look like a weapon at all. It looked more like a paper weight.

"Oh, it's," The displaced boy paused for a second as if mentally having a last minute argument in his brain before seemingly coming to a conclusion. "My dad gave it to me. It's pretty advance piece of technology."

Ruby tilted her head. "You didn't really answer the question."

He placed the object back in his inside pockets before shrugging his shoulders. "I want it to be a surprise?" Jared offered before he noticed a nearby clock. "By the way, why are we heading this way?"

"What?" Both Jaune and Ruby spoke at the same time.

"I mean the auditorium was in the opposite direction where we were heading and according to the clock, it's already started the opening ceremony."

"We had to go there!?" Jaune seemed surprised.

Ruby snapped her head towards the blonde boy. "Wait you didn't know? I was following you!"

Jaune returned the same look towards her albeit much more nervously. "I-I was following you?" Then he and the girl quickly looked back to red eyed boy. "Why didn't you say anything until now!?"

"I thought you both were taking in the scenery!"

"Man we can't be late on our first day! Quick, Jared, get us there!" Ruby declared quickly.

Jared fought the urge to roll his eyes. He forgot how dorky his parents could be despite their renowned fame and glory.

" _Bastard…_ "

Jared stopped and quickly spun on his heel.

"Is something wrong, Jared?" His young father asked the other teen.

The black haired boy quickly looked around the area, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "D-Did any of you guys hear…?" He then trailed off as he realized he wasn't sure what he heard.

"Hear what?" Ruby asked.

Something in the air had changed, something putting off a malevolent feeling in the air, but then it quickly vanished.

"I guess I was just imagining things," Jared said before turning back to the path. "Anyway, the auditorium is this way."

As the three left, no one noticed a piece of light _bending_.

" _You bastard! How dare you take my place!_ "

 **{Author Notes}**

 **And thus ends the first chapter of the old story that includes time traveling. This is a reboot of a story that I ruined a long time ago that I still wished to continue.**

 **Hopefully the story will be a lot cleaner and much less stupid.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**


	2. Time is a jerk 2

**{Author Notes}**

 **... What? What? Around 30+ favorites and almost 90 follows in the first week? Where did you guys come from? I'm... actually humbled with how much I got with just one chapter. I can only hope for your continued support.**

* * *

In a past event that came from the future, the ten year old boy held the blindfold with confusion before looking back towards the adult in front of him. "Mama? Do I really have to use a blindfold?"

"Yes, now put it on." Despite how stoic his mama usually was, she seemed a bit more excited than usual. The way she handled that wooden stick looked especially sinister.

Still he obeyed her and did as instructed, making sure the cloth blocked any form of sight for him. "Now wha Ow!?"

He instinctively rubbed his thigh from the pain he felt of something smacking—oh.

"You aren't like your younger siblings who can see in the dark. Still, you have senses, so instead you're going to learn how to sharpen them, starting with your hearing." Unfortunately for the ten year old, despite hearing his own mom's voice, there was the glaring fact that it was the only thing she was allowing him to hear. Her footsteps were hidden, her breathing softened, and her voice was thrown out in such a way it came from all around him, not a single direction.

It seemed as if his mama was using her best abilities to not get detected at all. Yet the young boy quickly paled for a different reason. "Mama, this isn't going to be like that one time you thought I was asleep and also had papa wear a blindfold? It sounded really painful in your room that night."

For some reason, the young boy learned how to hear someone be both physically and mentally silent at that moment, but it did nothing from making the training he received far worse than it needed to be.

As for his mom, she knew she should have sound-proofed their room.

* * *

Back in the current time within the past, the trio made their way to the auditorium. Ruby seemingly spotted someone she knew and made a quick goodbye to the two guys.

"W-Wait!" Jaune tried to call out too late. "Aww man. Where else am I going to find a nice quirky girl to talk to?"

"You know I was joking about the archnemesis thing, but since I'm being treated like chopped liver, I now officially swear to make your life miserable, Jaune." Jared stated flatly.

"Oh you know what I mean. We're guys! We like… punch our feelings out… don't we?"

"Jaune, if was to punch my feeling into you, the only feelings you would get is disappointment and pain." Jared dryly retorted before walking ahead.

"O-Oh yeah? W-Well if I punched you, you'd be feeling pain and disappointment!"

"Congratulations, you've got the wit of a slow three year old."

"Hey!"

"Apologizes, that was an insult to all slow three year olds in the world."

Jaune seemed to struggle with words for a moment before he sighed and gave up. "Oh Brothers, this is going to be a long day."

While the two were having their little back and forth, they didn't notice another red haired girl staring at Jaune specifically with interest. They also didn't notice someone staring daggers into Jared's back.

As the announcement finally started, Jared looked up to see one of the most famous hunters in history, Ozpin. He always wondered how he was really like.

The speech was fairly short, but he didn't quite understand it. Yet… was he looking over towards Jared's direction?

"Man… that was something, wasn't it?" Jared's father motioned to him.

"No, Juane, that was a speech, not a something." Jared admitted before realizing something. He wasn't officially logged in to the school, was he? He literally appeared here out of thin air. He doubted something like that would just—

It was at this point that Jared's pocket started to ring, both boys looked over as Jared picked up his scroll that currently had a voice only option locked in.

"I gotta take this, see ya later, Jaune!" The young man from the future quickly left his father as he answered the call and made his way towards an empty hallway.

" _Whoo… oh… oh man… remind me again, to never make a phone call in the middle of a fire fight. J-Jared, you're still alive right?_ "

"While death may explain this strange pseudo-purgatory I find myself in, I still find myself unable to phase through walls and poses people to do silly dances, so yes. I am alive." Despite defaulting into his sass mode, Jared noticed something off with the guy. Was he… panting? He sounded exhausted. "Hey? Are you alright?"

" _Aww, behind all that rubbish is a heart of gold!_ " Okay never mind. That was the last time he showed concern.

" _We-We should probably warn him what he's getting into since our goal kind of_ _completely depends_ _on him!_ " Another voice shouted out, a female voice.

" _Look, I'm not the most clever of people—well yet anyway—but I am not neglectful. Anyway, Jay, I'm just calling to tell you properly that you should go meet with Ozpin. He's got an office that should be accessible riigghhttt abboouttt now. He'll fill you in on some things since we're sort of busy in this end._ "

" _Hey look up here! I'm ridding this large creature with no hands!_ "

Jared blinked. Another voice popped out that sounded different from the female voice. He kind of sounded like he was having fun. Oh, and then he moved the scroll away from him after hearing an ear splitting screech.

" _Oh snap! Okay dude, we'll have to call you back soon-ish. We're kind of getting things done on our end!_ " And then the call was dropped abruptly for the second time. From the sound of things, the guy who supposedly stranded him here seemed busy as well. Though, this just completely piled on the questions he had for himself when he first got here.

The young boy sighed before looking towards the largest tower on the school grounds.

He took a step forward—and turned on his heel into a fighting stance.

As he looked around, he saw no one around him, but he swore he once more felt another presence coming his way.

His eyes narrowed as he took one more glance around. He threw his hands out. "Look universe, I'm already having a confusing day as it is, so quit it whatever else you're planning!"

Come to think of it, wasn't he asked if he was still alive? Brothers, what did he get himself into?

Jared made his way towards the office, unaware of something small floating just behind him.

"Poyo…"

* * *

Ozpin drank a sip of coffee as soon as the elevator door opened up. A young boy wearing a purple long coat stepped out quickly.

"Uh hello, sir! I… didn't press all the buttons because they had a cool sound?" As the boy said this, the elevator closed itself and they could both hear the noise of the cables stopping on the floor right beneath them even with all the clockwork around them.

"Ah… Mr. Axel was it? I've been expecting you." He turned from the swivel chair towards the boy. Then he made mental note of his action. Hmm. Perhaps those movies influenced him a bit more than he thought they would.

Mr. Axel blinked. It was almost as if he was shocked to hear that name. "Y-You have?"

"Yes, someone named Temporas said he would be sending you to this school. We had seen your scores and application and we were very impressed."

Again the boy blinked in confusion as if he never knew he even applied here. "I… I never applied here, sir."

Without missing a beat, Ozpin nodded. "I know. He told me they were fake."

To the boy's credit, he seemed too confused to react to that sentence. "Three weeks ago, a young man who looked not too much older than yourself came in front of me and declared himself a time traveler."

Ozpin watched as the boy simply dropped his mouth. That did not look like the face of someone who didn't believe him. "Despite such an audacious claim, he sounded confident and calm. He didn't quite mind if he truly believed him or not, but he asked a favor in return for doing something for me. He asked that I take care of a young boy who would feel isolated and alone… being stuck in the past."

Hmm, the boy still seemed to be in shock. Perhaps he must have been overwhelmed with such a sudden shift in well let's just say reality.

"Mr. Axel?" Ozpin drank a sip of his coffee. "Do close your mouth, you may catch a fly."

The young man did as he was told and then shook his head. "So… what did he tell you?"

Ozpin took a second to gather up his thoughts. "Much. He told us much. I do say that he was rather… trustworthy with a lot of information he shared with us. But what he has not told us was your real name and where you came from."

"Oh. But you know I'm from the future right?" The boy asked slowly. "And who is this guy who made all of this work?"

Ozpin nodded. "As for whom this man truly is, he told us that in the grand scheme of things, his true identity was not worth mentioning. But he told me enough that you must stay here in Beacon for a period of time. As to why, he asked that we not prod him further on the reason for he doesn't quite understand himself."

Jared raised his brow. "How does he not understand himself?"

"He said that it was his partner that understood how it worked and his partner was rather… unique to say the least."

"Partner?"

"That is all that needs to be said. Temporas has not fully earned our trust, but he has done enough for us to allow him to allow you to be here."

"But… I don't want to be here."

Ozpin seemingly frowned. There was something genuine in his eyes like empathy. "If it is any constellation, he apologizes deeply. Once you learn more about your semblance, he says that you can leave and go back."

Jared mentally scoffed, he didn't sound like it on the phone. But it looked like he really was trapped here in the past.

"However, while you are here, we are planning to help you train your semblance. In order to do that properly, you must go through initiation like all the other students." Ozpin spoke up.

Jared tilted his head. "Initiation? You mean how you just throw students into the wild and hope for the best?"

Ozpin made the slightest twitch on his lips in an effort to stop a frown. "That is one way of looking at it, yes." He was hoping it would be a surprise. "I suppose there is some knowledge that we couldn't hide from you."

Jared tilted his head as he noticed something about this conversation. "Sir, you're being very calm about all this."

"That is simply because we already made our reactions when Temporas first appeared. We had time to settle and while the tale does seem unlikely, it's not impossible given our circumstances. It would be rather hypocritical of us to not believe your chaperone."

Jared sighed, someone knew his situation but at the same time, there was nothing he could do about it? Go figure. Still this did mean something else completely. "So I have to take a test like my—I mean everyone here?" The displaced wanderer asked.

"Yes. Temporas says that you are adequately trained just like anyone of the applicants here." It was at this moment that Ozpin recalled the _other_ fake documents that applied into this school, but he chose to continue his conversation. "Should you fail, I do believe something could be arranged. Other than that, I suggest you check your locker, it's a little early, but it was stuffed with items you might appreciate." Professor Ozpin finished.

"… Thanks…" Jared sighed as he walked towards the elevator. It was then he noticed that it was already opening with a young woman not too much older than him walking in with her brown hair styled in such a way that it covered a good majority of her right side. The two looked at each other before they passed by each other.

Ozpin and the woman waited until Jared left. Afterward, the principal turned to the woman. "How are you feeling, Amber?"

The woman didn't really seem to know how to answer that herself. "It feels like someone ripped apart something from me and I just feel… incomplete."

"Temporas warned us that your restoration would only be physical. Your emotional, mental, even aura state would be somewhat unstable."

"Well I mean I still am grateful he healed me, but why do I have to be a teacher here? I didn't even own a house, let alone stay in one place long enough to get a proper education."

A smirk appeared across his face. "Not entirely true. I have always found that there are some things that a school cannot teach you."

* * *

Jared sighed as he walked under the moon. He stopped for a second before he looked up and started talking to it.

"Seventeen years of normalcy and poof all gone within a moment. Dad, what do you think I should do?"

"Poyo."

Jared blinked and turned around to scan his surroundings. Something was wrong if he was really starting to hear things.

In the corner of his eyes, he noticed something slipping away past a corner, and he quickly made chase. However, when he dashed past the corner, he slid to a stop as he spotted his dad just looking up at the moon.

The slide caused Jaune to look back at the cause of the sound. "J-Jared? Dude, you scared me!"

"O-Oh. Sorry. I thought I saw… never mind," The boy shook his head. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well it's not because I got lost!" Jaune gave out a rather forced laugh afterward. "I-I was just enjoying the view!"

The son blinked before looking out the balcony. "Huh, wow. I haven't seen the sea at night in a while."

Jaune looked towards the direction. "Huh? Sea?"

The purple themed boy pointed in the direction of Vale to its right where they could see the water. "Just beyond the docks, nothing but sea as far as the eye could see. Huh, a rhyme."

"Oh wow I didn't notice that! … I've never seen the sea before."

Jared blinked. "You haven't?" Odd, he thought his dad had traveled a lot around his age.

"Nope. I came from a small village nearby Vale's borders. I never really moved from there until here."

"Traveling is actually dangerous." Jared looked back towards the sea. He then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" The knight asked the wanderer.

The black haired, red-eyed boy just shook his head. "It's just… I remember the first time I saw the sea. I actually hated staying in one place for too long, so a lot of people had trouble keeping me in one spot when I was young." Jared trailed a hand towards his head as a blur of memories flashed in his mind of different people he could look at long enough to try and identify. Still he fought through it and kept talking. "One day, I snuck out of the house and hid myself behind my dad's vehicle as he drove to his post. Eventually, after hours of being cramped, I was found out by my dad. As he was pulling me, ready to yell my ear out, I looked out to where I was and I saw the sea."

Jared motioned to his ear. "It was as blue and as endless as the sky. After my dad promised to ground me for an entire year, we had a campfire with him and his team on the beach. Honestly, it was worth it."

"You sure talk about your dad a lot." The young knight muttered.

Jared ended up coughing and moving his head away to hide the blush on his face. "I... I looked up to him."

Jaune looked down. "I know how that feels." He exhaled deeply as that sentence left his mouth.

The son blinked in surprise and looked to Jaune. "Really?" Come to think of it, he never really knew much about his father's past before he met his mom.

The blonde boy nervously shifted around. "Y-Yeah my oldest sister, Clara. I looked up to her a lot."

Auntie Clara? Oh right, she was badass. It would make sense that his dad looked up to her.

It was then that silence fell on the two boys. Secretly, they both wished Ruby was here—but then they both realized that she would also probably say nothing else in this situation and they already showed their weapons.

"I'm going to go… prepare for the night now. See ya around, Jared." Jaune spoke up before not waiting for his new friend to answer.

Jared just stood there as his father left him and then he just placed his arms on a rail nearby and buried his hands on his face. "Oh Brothers, this is going to be so awkward."

"Poyo!"

"And who keeps doing that!?" Jared looked around again, but to no avail, he saw nothing. "Ugh, I… sleep. Sleep sounds really good right now." He gave up as a yawn came out of him.

* * *

Jared did not sleep at all last night. He was groggy, cranky, his breakfast sucked, he couldn't spot his dad or anyone he recognized, and he was horribly homesick.

"Stupid, jerks. Stupid life. Stupid Semblance." The boy muttered bitterly as he and a bunch of other students were led towards the initiation area.

Jared was half listening to Ozpin saying how they had to find a chess piece somewhere hidden and scattered all across the forest, how the first person they make eye contact with becomes their partner, how they are all given keys in order to—wait, what was that last one?

"Any questions?"

Jared quickly raised his hand. "Could you please repeat that part about these keys?" He asked as he pointed to the small copper key that was floating right in front of him due to Ms. Goodwitch's semblance.

"If there are no other questions, good luck." Well, a simple no would have been nice.

Jared felt a shift beneath him and quickly grabbed the floating key mere seconds before he found himself flung into the air first. Despite that, he was rather calm as he looked into the sky. "Oh, so this was why my first hunter training was being thrown a large distance and finding a landing strategy."

He quickly tapped both of his feet as roller blade wheels popped up from the sole of his shoes. Jared spun before jumping off a nearby tree and skating along the ground to a stop.

"Great, I was so out of it that I missed what that third rule for the initiation was." The red eyed boy rolled his eyes.

Wait a second. He didn't recall his dad's initiation having anything to do with keys. Did he just forget or was it just some detail that wasn't important enough to mention? … Maybe it was the later; still he should just probably ask his future partner. He just hoped it wasn't going to be his dad or else things would get even more awkward and complex for him to stay here.

Come to think of it, how would he approach his dad now that he was here? Should he avoid or be a part of his life? Again, he really couldn't tell how this type of time travel would affect him. Should he risk it or not?

The young man glanced on to the key he was holding. It looked very simple and cheap, but it still seemed good enough to do its job.

Jared exhaled in mental exhaustion for the umpteenth time in the last forty hours and threw the key into the air and catching it with his other hand. "Well it's a key, and keys open something. So it only makes sense that they placed something worth opening around here. They shouldn't be too hard to…"

Jared was distracted when he saw a rather peculiar sight: there was a bush nearby that was sparkling. Yes, sparkling like some of those animated shows that appeals to growing females.

While wary of the unexpected shrubbery, the young man walked towards it. As he came closer, there was a low sound that was slowly sounding like… groaning?

It was then that someone shot up from the bushes. He looked peculiar in that he was wearing a dark gray suit with a white polo and red tie. He had orange colored eyes that looked like sunsets and had shinning silver hair. He looked very handsome before he placed a hand on his hair and smiled at Jared which would have made shy girls flush red.

(Is he still sparkling?) The boy thought as the stylish man continued smiling at him.

"It seems that we are partners. I would have liked to partner with a beautiful woman, but none the less congratulations! You get to be partners with moi! Uripedes Narcissi! I bet you must be honored!" As he said this, he posed in an overly elaborate fashion as he was still somehow sparkling in front of him.

"Umm okay? My name is Jared Axel, it's a pleasure?"

"I bet it is, meeting me for the first time!" Again, Uripedes then stepped on a rock with one foot and leaned dramatically on his knee as he stared wistfully in a random direction. "Now partner, we must find our chess piece and a box for both of our keys to open!" As he said this, he swiped one arm out in a needlessly dramatic fashion to show his key, which looked dramatically more elaborate, with gold plating and… were those jewel incrusted symbols!?

"What the heck, how is your key like that!?" That is what Jared wanted to say, but instead he suppressed his inner straight man and asked, "W-What are the boxes for again?"

"Oh you poor simpleton. Do you want me, the great Uripedes Narcissi, to tell it for you? Yes, you do! It's only natural to think of more reasons to hear the sound of my voice!" Again he posed with the sparkles that accentuated his constant state of posing.

(Well… this guy is full of himself, but he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy. I mean, he at least doesn't seem to be putting me down to make himself better. … I think?)

"You see, Jake," And Jared was starting to have second thoughts when Uripedes went on even with the correction of his name. "After finding your first partner, not only must we find a chess piece, but we must also find a box that can be only opened by two keys. This is optional, since there are only three boxes scattered through the forest, but picking them up will be beneficial for beyond the initiation due to whatever mysterious content lay in the container."

Well, at least he was honest about what else they needed to get. "Okay then, let's go at least try to find a chess piece."

"A great idea, Jamaica, but I have a better one! We must postpone finding the box in favor of what is necessary! Thus, we must search for a chess piece before we find the box!" Again, the boy was posing again, but this time, he had a hand on his face as he explained the same exact thing Jared just said.

(Let it go, Jared. Let it go.) This was going to be a long day, he could tell. "Alright, let's get…"

"Grrrr…"

Jared felt the air turn sour and cold. He quickly spun on his heel to notice a large group of Beowolves surrounding them. He wondered how so many could sneak up on either of them without him notice—… He wasn't paying attention because he was distracted by his new partner, wasn't he? And the only reason why they all came here was because of Uripedes' 'dramatic projections' every time he spoke, wasn't it?

"Aha Grimm! Stand back, Jeremy, I will blow them away with the power of my semblance!" Jared was honestly curious as to what kind of semblance his new partner had that made him so confident to walk in front of a pack of Beowolves without even brandishing his weapon. (He hoped to whatever being up there that he actually did have a weapon and that he was at least half as good as his boasts proclaimed.)

The stylish teen walked up towards the front of the pack and stared at the closest Beowolf in front of him.

… Then he posed once more.

However, before Jared could face palm, something happened. His sparkles were actually increasing in quantity and volume in a rapid pace—holy crap! Those sparkles were actually his Semblance!? What is it!?

These thoughts quickly passed his mind as the sparkles all combined together and a great flash of light exploded from Uripedes' form.

"AAAHH! Dang it! I can't see!" Jared whined as he was too late to shield his eyes from the sudden flash of light. "Warn me next time you do that, Uripedes!"

"GRRRRR!" "GROWL!" "AWWOOOO!"

Jared paused as he continued to rub his eyes. Unfortunately, as he tried to open his eyes, all he saw was white, but his hearing could still detect the Grimm were still there, only angrier.

"What the heck did you do!?" Jared cried out as he felt the presence of several other Beowolves closing in towards them.

"Ha! Don't worry, Kelly," That was a girl's name and nowhere near the original name Jared gave him. "I used my semblance! My ability is to look beautiful! I can harness it so much, that I can blind not only others, but myself as well with my dazzling beauty!"

Jared actually stopped thinking as soon as his ears caught that prideful boast. "Are you telling me that your semblance is just making yourself look good, and THAT YOU JUST BLINDED BOTH OF US WHILE A BUNCH OF GRIMM WERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!?"

"I am so beautiful even my own eyes can't withstand my beauty!" Even though blind, Jared could tell his new stupid partner was posing.

"GRR!" Jared heard a Grimm tackle down Uripedes.

"AAhh!~ Aaahhh!~" Was that _really_ how he sounded while being attacked?

(As much as I would like him to die right now, I probably should save his life in case his death screws up my future somehow.) The real reason why he had to save his new partner was because his moans were making him increasingly uncomfortable.

Jared inhaled then exhaled as he slowly relaxed his muscles into a fighting stance. He recalled the teachings of his Mama Blake when it came to the shadows.

 _The best of us can become one with the darkness._

Jared slid under a Beowolf and quickly stuck a palm underneath its neck and followed through with the attack. The palm was filled with Aura and the energy exploded on impact of the creature, dislocating the bones in its neck.

 _We are invisible to the eye, deaf to the ears, unnoticeable by the path we walk upon_.

The white and purple clad boy jumped and round house kicked the Beowolf that was attempting to maul his partner before landing on one foot and hopping on it.

 _If you are fighting a battle where one of your own senses is rendered useless, don't rely on them. Quickly calm yourself and use which ever sense that hasn't been impaired._

"GGRR—!" A Beowolf's skull was axe kicked into the ground before Jared jumped over him and performed a rising uppercut on another unsuspecting Grimm and kicking him into several other ones from the air.

 _Don't forget: in order for them to get to you they still have to move, they still have breathe, and they also have to see you. Your father used that to his advantage._

Another Grimm tried rushing for him. Jared made a step back—but found his footing imbalanced when he realized he stepped on a root.

 _Try to visualize and memorize the area around you and remember where certain obstacles are. You might be led to a trap without noticing._

Jared fell to his butt as he sensed the Grimm try and pounce on him.

"Fear not partner for I will save you as intended!" Jared heard the sound of the Grimm yelping as something metallic sounding made contact with the creature of darkness.

Slowly, his sight was returning and he saw Uripedes with a round shield mirror… while he was still posing and sparkling like crazy.

"Did my semblance amaze you in ways you could not imagine?"

"It amazed me on how that was the worst semblance I've ever seen."

"I know. It's amazing; there's no need to shower it with relentless praise."

Jared's left eye lid twitched upward. "L-Let's just find the dang chess piece." He sighed as he placed his hand into his face and turned around from his partner.

The unlikely duo made their way across the forest running in to more Grimm due to them detecting Jared increasing doubts and annoyance. Unfortunately for the temporal displaced boy, his partner was doing more harm than good, relentlessly posing and sometimes using the blinding part of his semblance in an attempt to blind the Grimm that don't actually rely on seeing.

He couldn't exactly hate the guy, sure he was basically a narcissist, but there were times where he tried to show care for him… in his own…

"Jam, you look positively dirty! This will not do! Why not pose with me? My semblance will automatically make you a fraction of how handsome I am!"

… _unique_ way.

After fighting off a few more Grimm for who knows how long, Jared was surprised. His hunter gear was smudged and he was noticeably feeling fatigue from the constant attacks. However, Uripedes still looked pristine and untouched. It finally occurred to Jared that this was the same person that was mauled on not too long ago by his own fault, yet he looked as pristine and sharp as someone in a model agency.

"Actually, you never really explained your semblance. What do you mean it makes you beautiful?"

Jared did his best to ignore how his partner was leaning on a tree in a seductive manner as he explained his semblance. "It's only natural lesser people wouldn't know how the best semblance in existence works. Don't feel too bad, Sara—"

"You're not even trying to remember my name anymore, are you?"

"You see! No matter what happens, not matter what I do, I shall always be beautiful! Walking across the hall? I'm the most beautiful person doing so. Going on the toilet? A tragedy that no one sees me, but none the less, I am the most beautiful person to do it in the most beautiful way. Posing with a friend? Why, I'm so beautiful, I make them look a million times better than they ever look!"

So basically, his semblance makes everything he does beautiful? Does that mean that even his wounds would get erased since they look ugly on him? Is that why he still looks so pristine? That's like some kind of pseudo invulnerability right there. Maybe his semblance was actually better than he first gave it credit for.

It was then Jared realized… he actually was posing with Uripedes.

"What the heck!?" The boy stood back up straight and took a step back from his partner. "Did you just make me pose?"

"No need to thank me!"

"Thank you?!" Jared froze as he realized something. The dirt and grime on his clothes had vanished and his gear looked as clean and pristine when he first received them. Not only that, his fatigue was gone. However, he noticed a small scratch that a Grimm gave on his cheek was still there.

"Your semblance… it made me… beautiful?" Jared slowly started to think. Uripedes Semblance could do this? "But what about this scratch?"

"Aren't battle scars absolutely beautiful? How they amplify the warrior spirit of us hunters?" Jared wasn't entirely sure why he was bending so far back he looked like an upside-down U as he said this, but it seemed like his partner's semblance seems to center around Uripedes' specific ideal of beauty. He heals what he thinks is ugly, and keeps what he thinks is cool. That… that's kind of dangerous but his semblance is a lot more powerful than first glance. … If only it's user was a little more… no… Jared assumed this semblance only worked for this type of guy.

"I guess? Anyway, we've been traveling a while…" Jared looked up and groaned at how the sun was starting to move downward and checked his scroll. "We've been wandering around for three hours!?"

"It is only right to be fashionably late, like all amazing people like me must do! But now! We must take our chess piece!"

Jared raised his brow and turned back, only to have his eyes widen as Uripedes was posing fashionably in front of a piece of ruins that had all the chess pieces.

"How'd I miss that?" The boy thought as he walked towards the ruins. Amazingly, the ground in the area looked tattered and ripped apart. It was like there was a battle here some time ago since the scars on the ground seemed to come there today.

"Some of our classmates must have come here, battled some Grimm, and took some chess pieces." The black haired boy stated before he looked back up to see his partner holding a golden king chess piece. "How did you get… right. Semblance makes you look good." And apparently it could turn things beautiful around his vicinity of his own choosing.

"It seems like we have succeeded in our mission, partner! Alas, we couldn't find one of the three boxes, but none the less! It's best if we return to Beacon to ensure our stay here!"

Getting back to Beacon was literally the best idea his new partner had so far. "So where was BeAWW COME ON!?"

"Hmm? Jared, is something the matter?" The sparkling boy asked with beautiful concern.

One: he actually said his name correctly. Two: there was literally a red carpet laid out for Uripedes along with velvet rope that went into the direction of where Beacon was.

Forget everything Jared just thought about Uripedes' semblance, it might be a low level reality bender at this rate!

"I… everything is fine, partner. Let's just get back to Beacon."

On their way back, Jared was both amused and horrified while walking on the red carpet path back. this was because he swore there were camera flashes all around him and his partner, but there was no one for miles.

* * *

"… we have Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long forming team RWBY/RUBY led by Ruby Rose." Ozpin stated as he introduced the team to the whole school. He waited for Team RWBY to congratulate themselves before he called up the next group of people.

"Now then, I would like to call up Jared Axel, Uripedes Narcissi, Serma Hollow, and Xavier Adams forming team JUXS/juxtaposition led by Xavier Adams."

Jared and Uripedes walked—correction. Another red carpet was laid before them as they walked to the stage, followed by pyrotechnics and fireworks.

"Would it kill you to at least… lower all of this!?" Jared motioned to how all the screens were now focused on the two of them.

"Don't worry, Butch, I heard that humility is beauty. Therefore, I toned down the elegance of my presence."

Jared face palmed. He was stuck with this guy!? I hoped that his other two new teammates could help him with this guy.

As Jared felt everyone just staring at him and Uripedes, he also took time to look at the other two at the stage.

His paused. Then he rubbed his eyes. Then he rubbed them again. He looked to see if Uripedes had blinded him so bad that he was now seeing things.

Serma Hollow, by the name she was a girl. But she was a girl with one of the palest complexions Jared had ever seen, and her face… _she didn't have one_. Or at least, her face was fully covered by her long, creepy black hair. W-Why would she style herself like that? All Jared could see her wear was a large white, flowing cloak that hid her entire body like she was some kind of evil spirit. The chilling airs around her almost made Jared want to stand nearby Uripedes and pose again.

And then Xavier Adams… he sounded so normal. So why was he dressed as a Pirate with an eye patch and a stuffed bird sewed to his shoulder? Jared looked closer, Xavier seemed to be a blue haired man wearing a fake brown beard and wearing… was that a plastic toy pirate hat? Where did he get those clothes, the costume store?

"H-Hi? I-I mean… arg mateys?" Xavier sounded like he didn't even know how to be a pirate.

"Hello." Jared waved back before Uripedes stood in front and posed again. Suddenly confetti fell from the skies above them. (Why aren't any of the confetti getting even close to Serma?)

"Mr. Narcissi… please stop using your semblance." Ozpin spoke up in the loudspeakers.

"Hmph!" Uripedes gave a cool smile before he pointed his hand like a gun back at Ozpin, winked and clicked his tongue. "I have no idea how to stop it!" He said that so coolly with the sparkles amplifying his pose.

(Sorry dad, I'm going full Paradox/Renegade on the time line because of this.)

The silence was so deafening among all of Beacon that the only thing that remotely made a sound was Jared slapping his forehead with his hand. However, that simple sound was made to be heard like a siren with how quiet the while place was.

"… Moving on." Bless this man, for he truly is a paragon among us all. "For those that collected one of the three boxes, please open them among your team."

The newly formed Team JUXS went down. Jared looked over to his dad's team, Team JNPR standing beside Team RWBY.

Jared walked ahead before looking at his team and introducing them to the others. "I met some of these guys on my way here. The blonde male is Jaune, and the small red girl is Ruby. But I don't recall meeting you guys." He tried to play it cool as everyone else introduced themselves.

However, before they could go into Team JUXS' introductions, Ozpin's voice rang out again.

"If you have opened these boxes, you will find numbers 1, 2, and 3. These numbers… will represent your ranking among your classmates of this year."

"Ranking?" Jared looked back to everyone else. "Did anyone get a box here?"

Both Team RWBY and JNPR shook their heads. Jared turned to Xavier and Serma, but Xavier just shook his head as well and apologized.

"For the first time in Beacon, there shall be a ranking system. This system is based off grades, participation, and other extracurricular activities you perform here in Beacon along with exterminating the Grimm. More information will be sent to your scrolls, but think basically this: if you are the best in the school, you get the best meals, the best housing, the best seats, higher priority for classes and so on. However, if you are the lowest, you will be subjected to the poorest of conditions in the school."

Ozpin paused as he let people murmur amongst themselves then he continued on. "For the initiation, your combined performances on how long it took one to get back have defined where you will be living for the next four years."

This time, Ozpin was interrupted as everyone started talking louder at how worried they were on their performance.

"For how we graded you for this event, we have determined that those that returned the quickest back to Beacon with their chess piece will get a higher rank just below those who found their box."

No wonder there were only three boxes! Finding one guaranteed you'd be set for the whole four years!

Jared face palmed as he realized Uripedes took his damn time getting back to Beacon, stopping and posing every few seconds!

"Do not lose heart if you are ranked low. As time progress on, you may climb the ranks and upgrade your quarters so your conditions will not remain poor." Well there was some silver lining in all of this. "Now we shall be sending you all the ranking system. Please, feel free to check your standing."

Everyone, except Serma and Uripedes, the latter was just staring a mirror of himself while the former just creepily stood there, looked at their scrolls. Jared paled as he decided to fight the bad feeling in his chest and check the very bottom of the list.

"Dang it." Jared sighed deeply as he looked at Xavier. "Team JUXS got last place." That makes too much sense he supposed.

"WWWHHHHAAAATTT!?" Everyone else backed away from Weiss of all people who looked as red as Ruby. However, not even a raging volcano was a fraction of how the white themed girl felt right now. Everyone stepped away from the white themed girl towards a safe distance and Jared quickly checked his scroll.

Just above Team JUXS was Team JNPR, and just above them was Team RWBY. All three of their teams were in the bottom three.

"N-Now W-Weiss." Ruby probably shouldn't have reminded the heiress she existed at that point. "I-I know you may be thinking that this might be my fault for the Nevermore thing."

" **I didn't until now.** " Jared didn't know who was scarier—wait no. Serma was creepy; Weiss was outright terrifying right now.

Ruby was hiding behind Yang shivering like some poor sap about to be killed brutally in a horror film.

"B-But look on the bright side?" Ruby squeaked in some form of desperation. "We… we… uhh… we aren't dead last?"

"Umm Miss Rose?" Xaiver innocently spoke up. "I'd rather be dead last than you right now. … Sorry was that mean?"

Dang it, Xaiver was right.

Nora pointed at how much redder Weiss got and how the rather elegant girl was shaking quite dangerously. "Look out, she's going to blow!"

Everyone ducked for cover as a blast of ice surrounded the area.

* * *

Much later that night, it seemed like Glynda was rounding up the three lowest ranked teams a little out towards the edge of the school grounds.

"Ms. Glynda, at the risk of sounding impatient, but are we almost there?" Xavier asked as he played around with his toy hook hand, swatting away flies that were coming close to him and his stuffed parrot.

"We will be there soon Mr. Adams. Ahh here we are." The three teams reached a clearing where they all just stared in utter shock at what was before them.

"Because your three teams were ranked last, or rather in Teams JNPR and RWBY case, you both were pushed down when it was revealed two of the teams that found a box were slower than the both of you," Glynda fixed her glasses as everyone took another step away from Weiss, especially Ruby. "Your three teams will be sharing this dorm for the next four years. Do keep it tidy."

"Dorms!?" Weiss screamed as she pointed to where they would all be staying. "Ms. Goodwitch, with all due respect that-that is _not_ a dorm! It looks more like-like…"

"A tool shed?" Jaune offered up before Weiss turned her glare towards him and he yelped and hid behind Pyrrha.

The building in front of the three was this old, rackety looking, two story building with holes on the roof and damaged doors and windows. There were two stairs on each opposite side, and both looked unused in ages. The rails on the second floor looked ready to break. It looked like a poor man'sapartment complex than an actual dorm.

"I understand your upset, Ms. Schnee," At this moment, everyone turned back to the shed to see a plank of wood fall from the stairs. "However, as Ozpin said this is not permanent. If you climb the ranks, you can use your new found status to upgrade this as you see fit… with the other teams. And do not worry; we already evicted all the hobos living in here before this."

"Hobos lived here before us? G-Good one, Ms. Goodwtich, and I thought you didn't have a funny bone. Ahaha... haha… why aren't you laughing? Please laugh and say it was a joke. Please?" Ruby asked in desperate hope.

Glynda went back and looked at the rest of them. "If one of them does try and come back, due call us after settling yourselves. Some of them might have a semblance, so do be careful." With that Glynda left all three teams.

No sooner than she did, they all saw Uripedes walking up to the tool shed/dorms.

"No matter how dingy this looks, I, Uripedes Narcissi shall look beautyf—" as soon as he opened the door, a bunch of bats flew out and swarmed him. "Aaahh!~ Aahh!~ I'm being bitten!~ By bats!~ Aahh!~ Aahh!~"

Even among the swarm, everyone could still see him sparkling and posing. A few people wondered if he was even in trouble with how… relaxed(?)… he sounded when being attacked.

"Well…" Jaune started, making everyone look at him. "At least things can't get any worse?"

"Y-Yeah, Mr. Arc has a point!" Xiaver tried to agree with him. "I mean, if we can kill any of those bats, we can have dinner!"

They all looked at the fake pirate while Uripedes was still being attacked by bats.

"W-What? Don't you guys remember that they suspended our meal privileges for the next two days because we're ranked the lowest?" Xavier brought up his scroll. "I-It was in the Ranking Guidelines they sent us."

"Screw it then," Jared said as he pounded his fists and walked towards the bats. "Anyone want to help me catch dinner, or would you rather try and eat Uripedes' sparkles?"

Everyone else said nothing, but took out their weapons.

* * *

 **{Author Notes}**

 **Hey guys, it's me, the author of this story!**

 **I introduced some new characters in this story that definitely weren't in the old one.**

 **I hoped you liked the introduction of Uripedes Narcissi and the power of his semblance. I wanted to make someone with the silliest semblance imaginable and this guy came out because of it.**

 **His semblance is designed to be weird, but simple: it makes him beautiful no matter what. It's simple in paper, but it can go a lot deeper than it seems and potentially? It's actually a very powerful semblance under the right circumstances.**

 **(Who knew that just being beautiful could be such a powerful semblance?)**

 **Also, I designed a lot more quirky characters that are going to pop up here and there. I have decided to embrace my weirdness to the maximum effect. If you thought Uri's semblance was bizarre, I've planned out a few more weird semblances from others as well.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this! I've got more in store for later! I promise! I'll see you all later!**

* * *

—{Extra: Diamond in the rough.}

(Jared jumps into the rickety living room in an excited manner.)

Jared: Guys! Guys! I've actually got great news!

Wiess: (Still feeling a little sick from the… bat meal) Axel, I appreciate the news, but unless the plumbing is fixed—

Jared: It is!

(Everyone stares at him in utter shock.)

Yang: Are you serious!? Please tell me you're serious! If you aren't, I'm kicking you ass outside for you to sleep the night!

(Jared then grabs a pillow—an actual soft and clean looking pillow before pointing to his partner Uripedes who was posing half naked without a shirt and holding a towel and a tooth brush.)

Jared: Uripedes' semblance! It's the ability to make things beautiful! The non-existent and sorry excuse for an outhouse turned into a five-star restroom with a spa!

Uripedes: Hmmph! It is only natural for beauty to be maintained with the highest of qualities.

Yang: You beautiful bastard! You really are the most beautiful man in the world!

(Almost everyone is excited that with Uripedes' semblance, they could turn this entire place into a luxury house in seconds! As they all start to argue on what Uripedes should change next, Xavier seems confused and raises his hand out.)

Xaiver: That's cool and all, but isn't it a bit too easy to do that? Wouldn't it be more fun to earn those things?

Uripedes: BEAUTIFUL GASP!

(Jared, and everyone else except Serma, have their eyes widened as they look back at the sparkling man.)

Jared: Uripedes… buddy?

Uripedes: (Makes a sad and dramatic pose.) I was a beautiful fool, Resh! A beautiful fool!

Jared: (Calm but worried voice.) Uri, buddy, pal, best person in the world! Whatever train of thought you have, derail it and let it burn in the bottom of a forgetting canyon! Now!

Uripedes: How could I be so beautifully blind! I'm beautifully forcing this poor, beautiful house to be something it's not!

Weiss: No, you are making this… house… what it always has meant to be! Beautiful!

Yang: Y-Yeah! Nothing says beautiful like a hot shower and a spa bath, right? You should totally get in there and forget whatever you're thinking!

Ruby: A-And work on our rooms!

Ren: And the kitchen.

Jaune: Y-You could even make a TV!

Nora: Snacks!

Pyrrha: Fi-Fixing the holes would be appreciated.

Blake: You could even expand this whole place and give us our own rooms!

Serma: …

Uripedes: (Throws his hand out dramatically.) Nay! Plastic Beard is right! To simply change things with my powers is the opposite of beautiful! We must learn to embrace the true beauty this house has to offer us as itself!

Jared: The outhouse was literally just a hole in the ground with shoddy, wooden walls surrounding it, and a gaping roof with an unintentional and irremovable sky light before you changed it!

Uripedes: Through our struggles, we shall become even more beautiful! Like diamonds among the rough! (He snaps his fingers and the pillow Jared is holding turns into a dead rat.)

Yang: (falls to her knees) No… not the spa! At least keep the spa!

Jaune: (Looks outside) Uhh… it's gone.

Uripedes: It is alright, fellow friends of Uripedes. This shall only strength our bond together beautifu— (Yang gets up and punches him.) AAahhh!~ (She then attacks him in a fit of rage with her eyes turning red with some traces of tears.) Aaahh!~ Uhhh!~ Aahh!~~

Yang: Dang! It! I! Can't! Even! Punch! You! Without! Feeling! Weird! (Yang struggles to keep hitting Uripedes since one: it doesn't really seem to be hurting him. And two, he keeps making beautifully uncomfortable sounds whenever he's hit.)

Jared: (turns darkly to his team leader.) Xavier.

(Everyone else except Uripedes and Serma slowly and darkly stare at the blue haired pirate wannabe.)

Jared: As leader, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Like say: **thinking before you speak**.

Xavier: (shivering like someone being frozen to death) I-uh-um will keep that in mind next time?

Weiss: (unsheathes her weapon.) Don't worry. We'll make **sure** you remember that next time.

(Everyone else but Serma, Uripedes, and Xavier unsheathe and power up their weapon.)

Xavier: W-Wait stop! AAaiiiiiieeee!

(And the scene fades to black as the people fall upon him.)


End file.
